This is how everyone came to love music: the charm of Ponkikki
Do you all know the TV show Ponkickies?
If you were born in the late 1990s or later, you might be thinking, “Huh?” (lol).
This time, I’d like to give a brief introduction to Ponkickies, a show that used to be on the air.
What is Ponkikkies?
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On the Fuji TV network, the children’s program Hirake! Ponkikki began in 1973, and after Ponkikki ended, Ponkikkies started in 1993.
Ponkikkies is a children's television program that was broadcast on the Fuji TV network and BS Fuji.
For convenience, in this article we will refer to the broadcasts on the terrestrial Fuji TV network from October 1, 1993 to March 31, 2001 as the first period, the broadcasts from April 2, 2005 to March 25, 2006 as the second period, and the broadcasts on BS Fuji from April 2, 2017 to March 25, 2018 as the third period.
Some of you might be thinking, "How nostalgic!"
It was a general entertainment program aimed at a wide audience, from preschoolers to elementary school students and older.
Did everyone come to love music because of this? The charm of Ponkikkies
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This time, I’d like to focus on and introduce the broadcast period from October 1994 to March 1999, which is said to be when Ponkikies entered its stable phase.
Ponkikkies frequently had its broadcast time changed—such as in the mornings or evenings—but during this period it aired Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 8:30 a.m.
For those born around 1990, wasn’t it a habit to watch this before going to kindergarten, daycare, or elementary school?
I remember that during the 30-minute broadcast of the program, a lot of music called the P-kies Melody was played, and it was a TV show I really loved.
P-kies Melody
A collective term for the theme songs used in a program and the artists’ tie-in songs.
With the exception of the segment theme songs, most tracks were featured in the program’s dedicated “P-kies Melody” segment (either at the beginning or in the middle of the show), where the show’s original music clips accompanied them and one chorus was put into heavy rotation for a set period. Some of them were also used as ending themes.
Feeling nostalgic, when I listen back now, this is what was playing here.All the music and the performing musicians are wonderful.It makes me realize that.
Southern All Stars
The first thing I remember is,Southern All StarsMy Own Sinbad.
At 8:08 a.m., at the start of the program, the chorus part would play.
Kazuyoshi Saito
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNiC1MvYmQ8
And the song that was playing as the ending theme was,Kazuyoshi SaitoIt’s “Let’s Walk Home” by [name].
It seems this song became popular thanks to Ponkickies.
Chisato Moritaka
Chisato MoritakaPersonally, I really love your Rock’n’ Omelet (lol).
Scha Dara Parr
From 1994 for five years, BOSE from the hip-hop group Scha Dara Parr also appeared regularly.
Denki Groove
A techno band representing JapanDenki GroovePierre Taki, a member of the group, also appears regularly.
Denki Groove’s “Popo” was, for a time, used as the ending theme.
Namie Amuro
Namie AmuroStarting in April 1994, she teamed up with Ranran Suzuki and made regular appearances as the duo Sister Rabbits.
Nobuaki Kaneko
At the time, Nobuaki Kaneko, who regularly appeared as Akkun, is now a member of a rock band.RIZEHe is also active as a drummer and actor.
Takumi Samejima
Takumi Sameshima, who regularly appeared as Takumi-kun, has played guitar supporting prominent musicians—including GACKT—and also works as a sound producer.
A parade of other great songs as well
On top of that, the songs used throughout the program are a parade of classic hits.
- Tatsuya Ishii's 'Child’s Days Memory'
- Takeshi Kaga’s “Ja-nay”
- Kenji Ozawa's 'I hope someday we can reach the moon with a fart.'
- In Nikirina’s “Tickling the Earth!”, Japan’s world-renowned saxophonist Sadao Watanabe performs on saxophone and also composed the piece.
- “Pipikaso” by Modern Choki Chokies, with Mari Hamada as the lead vocalist.
- Parade by Tatsuro Yamashita
- Akiko Yano's 'Dream Chick'
- Senri Oe’s “Summer Resolution”
- Wada Akiko’s “Now, an Adventure”
- Anri’s “Future for You”
…and so on.
I think this shows that the musicians involved in the program’s music are quite an all-star lineup.
The audience is mainly children aged 4 to 12, but the music is by no means just for kids—it’s intended for a broad range of generations.It also felt as if the song selection was made with the concept of cultivating a refined musical sensibility.
The habit of listening to music from a young age may have naturally developed thanks to this program.
By the way, in the music world, the generation currently leading the music scene and organizing festivals around the country is the Ponkikki-era generation.
Lastly
When I was little and watched Ponkikies, the internet and mobile phones hadn’t become widespread yet.
The background is that television is the main source of information.
As an adult, I realized that among them, the influence of Ponkikkies might have been significant for me when I was little.
Although the third season of Ponkickies that aired on BS ended in March 2018, the familiarity with music fostered by Ponkickies will surely continue to be passed down.